Turkish Promise Rings
The Turkish Promise Ring, or puzzle ring, is a set of bands that are configured so that there is only one way to interlock them to form a single ring.
If the ring is removed, the bands separate and the wearer must know how to put them back together in order to wear the ring again.
This can be a daunting task unless one knows the solution!
While it is generally agreed that the puzzle ring’s country of origin is Turkey, the history of its use is uncertain.
Some say that it was the brainstorm of a Turkish nobleman who had the ring designed for his beloved wife so that when they were apart,
she would remain faithful to him. If she removed the ring to enter into an affair with another man during his absence, he would know
this immediately upon his return. Of course, a clever wife would be able to outsmart him, solve the puzzle, and protect her secrets.
Still others say that the ring was crafted by enterprising Turkish artisans to lure the many U.S. military men stationed in Turkey
into buying these trinkets to send home to their wives or girlfriends.
Perhaps the most accurate explanation for the Turkish puzzle ring is that the father of the bride gives it to the bridegroom on the
morning of his wedding day. On the day of a traditional Turkish wedding, the groom has a very long wait while his bride is
engaged in numerous religious and magical rites and rituals in preparation for the evening ceremony.
The puzzle ring would occupy the anxious groom and hopefully allay his nervousness!
Today, both women and men give the puzzle ring as a token of friendship or love, or as a promise for chastity or faithfulness.
What better way to symbolize the relationship between two individual beings? Interconnected to form a whole.
